Artificial hand for playing chords.



I PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. B.' R. AMEND. ARTIFICIAL HAND'FOR PLAYINGCHORDS.

APPLICATION FILED 00'1.31, 1905.

cc., WASHINGION, a, c.

BERT R. AMEND, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

ARTIFICIAL HAND FOR PLAYING CHORDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

application filed October 31, 1905. Serial No 285,279,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERT R. AMEND, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, haveinvented a new and useful -Artificial Hand for Playing Chords, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings as a part thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a device which may be affixedto the stump of an amputated arm or to the extremity of an artificialarm, so as to enable the person to play the chords or bass notes of anaccompaniment on a piano or organ, or to enable the person to play anaccompaniment in the form of chords with my attachment to a melodyplayed with the other hand on the instrument.

It is further my object to so contrive my device as to make the same inits impact upon the keys of the instrument simulate the elastic touch ofthe human finger, and, furthermore, to make the device of simpleconstruction as a whole.

I carry my invention into effect as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of my device. Fig. 2 is asection taken on a line extending longitudinally through one of thefingers. Fig. 3 shows a section of the extremity of an artificial armadapted to have my attachment affrxed thereto; and Fig. 4 shows asocketbarthat is, a bar made with a socket to receive the shank orstud-screw of my attachment and provided with straps for affixing thesame to the stump of an amputated arm.

Referring now to the letters and numbers in the several views, my deviceconsists of a bar a, preferably made of metal tubing, so as to be aslight as practicable; To the bar are rigidly afiixed four finger-pins,as b, (shown in Fig. 2,) these pins preferably being made one-half ofthe length of the fingers 1, 2, 3, and 4. On the finger-pins b areafiixed spirals of steel spring-wire c, and each of said spirals isincased by a rubber casing d. The spring spirals c of each finger arepreferably made twice as long as the finger-pins b. The finger-pins bgive to the fingers 1, 2, 3, and 4 the required rigidity, while thespirals c thereon secured adapt the fingers to simulate the elastictouch of the human finger in their impact on the keys of the instrument.T heexterior rubber casing d operates to prevent the fingers fromslipping on the keys and also prevents the marring of the latter.

The fingers 1, 2, 3, and 4 of my device are relatively positioned so asto correspond with the notes included in the chord. For example, inplaying the chord in the scale of C the second finger 2, referring tothe notation 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the fingers as marked in Fig. 1, isplaced on the key-note c of the chord, and the first finger 1 wouldstrike the gbelow such 0, and the third and fourth fin ers 3 and 4 wouldstrike the e and g above the c. To facilitate the playing of a white keywhen constituting a part of the notes of a chord in flats, I provide thebar a with a fifth dependent finger 5. This consists of a stud c, whichis secured in the under side of the bar a in relative position, so thatit may be used as follows: In playing the chord of the scale, afiat, forexample, the fingers of my device will be so positioned that the secondfinger 2 would impinge upon the key a-fiat, the first finger 1 one-flat, the fourth finger on e-fiat above, while the third finger wouldnot be thrown into action at all, and in place thereof the dependentfifth finger 5 would strike the white key cnatural. The necessity forthis arrangement is obvious, for the third finger could not beconveniently brought down to strike the white key c-naturalsimultaneously with bringing the first, second, and fourth fingers downon the black keys of the instrument.

My device may be constructed so as to be adapted to be afiixed to thestump of an amputated arm or to the extremity of an artificial arm. Foreither purpose the bar a is provided with a screw-stud f. If my deviceis to be attached to an artificial arm, the stud f of the bar a would beinserted in the extremity of the artificial arm 9, which is made with ascrew-socket h. If my device is to be affixed to the extremity or stumpof an amputated arm, I use a socket-bar 'that is, a bar made withscrew-socket 'i, adapted to have the stud f secured thereto and madewith a shank j, provided with straps Z m for securing the shank to theextremity of the amput ated' arm.

My chord-playing attachment as described is constructed for use inplaying the notes comprised in the chord of any scale. It may also be asadvantageously used for playing only the bass in the form of an octaveof the key-note of the chord. For such purpose the middle two fingers 23 of my attachment would be omitted. If desirable, the middle twofingers may be removably aflixed to the shank a by the commonscrew-and-socket arrangement ,4 so that one attachment will answer forboth purposes.

In order to so arrange my device that the same may be compactlycontained in a case, I prefer to make the fifth finger 5 and thestud-screw f removable.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A' device of the character described com rising a bar provided withfour, relative yypositioned, projecting fingers, made with resilientextremities, a dependent fifth finger, and means for attaching the barto the arm.

2. A device of the character described com rising a bar provided withfour, relative y positioned, projecting fingers, made With resilientextremities, a removable dependent fifth finger, and means for attachingthe bar to the arm.

3. A device of the character described com rising a bar provided withfour relative y pos1tioned,'proj ecting finger-pins, an

elastic casing on each pm, said casing extending beyond thefinger-pin soas to provide a resilient extremity therefor, a dependent fifth finger,and means for attaching the bar to the arm.

4. In a device of the character described the combination with a barhaving four relatively positioned projecting fingerins of a spiral ofwire on each pin, said spira extending beyond the pin and constitutingthe resilient extremity thereof, and casings lnclosing the spirals.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two Witnesses.

BERT R. AMEND. Witnesses:

T. J. GEIsLER, ALPHA A. TURNER.

